I had some members of the Church of God Bloomingdale (Illinois), which is a part of the Church of God World Mission Society, visit my front door this morning. Here’s a quick summary of their heretical views in case you encounter them:
- They don’t believe in the Trinity (though they say they do), but say that the Father, Son and Spirit of different manifestations of God who is just taking different forms at different times in history (similar to the view of Oneness Pentecostals)
- They believe that a mother God exists who is named Jerusalem (based on a misreading of Galatians 4:22-26 and Revelation 21:2) and is the bride of the Father in Revelation 19:7. She provides life and salvation (because Revelation 22:17 references the bride giving the water of life which is necessary for salvation in John 4:10-14). They point to Genesis, where it says God created us in His image, male and female, implying the necessity of a female god.
- They claim to have secret knowledge about the second coming of Jesus (they believe he returned in the form of a Korean pastor named Ahn Sahng-hongand) the hidden message from the seven thunders of Revelation
- They require the keeping of the passover for salvation and hold to other Jewish feasts as well
Be warned. They are teaching a false message about an untrue Jesus as 2 Corinthians 11:4 warns of. For a more thorough summary, visit CARM on World Mission Society or the best source of additional detail Examining the World Mission Society Church of God.